Prologue
In a government-funded laboratory, Wesley Dane worked carefully peering through the microscope. Having worked solely on the integration of artificial ligaments, he knew better than anyone that the future of technology wasn’t in plastics, but the rebuilding of a structure that can function like another body part. Maria Hawkins entered and walked over. She peeked over his shoulder and he grumbled, “What do you want?”
Maria smiled and chided, “What’s up with you, Mr. Grumpy Pants?”
At that, Wesley retorted, “If this is you trying to get into my pants, you’d better give it up.”
Not one for sweet-talking, Maria rolled her eyes and asked, “Hey, you give my proposal some thought?” She eyed him carefully, noting the setline he kept his lips, not giving anything away.
Wesley’s tone never changed, everything sounded like a warning, “Of course not. I don’t want to mix business with pleasure with anyone.”
Maria leaned closer and whispered in his hear, “We can do it in a test tube.”
At this, Wesley looked up and asked, “You’ll release some control?”
Maria shrugged, “I like your genetic code, Wes. I think our product would be quite interesting. I mean,” she rested her chin on her hand, “can you imagine their brain?”
Wesley couldn’t help but feel a pinch of excitement as he relented. The method they discussed had been a mixed clone, but it was also better than a baby made through conventional methods. The idea of rolling around for the sake of conception was beyond unappealing due to the lack of sanitation of the whole situation, thus the massive appeal in Maria’s suggestion.
It wasn’t a secret she liked his genetic code. She’d taken samples from every male she knew before choosing him. In some ways, it was flattering, but also strange. She suggested the old fashioned way first but Wesley declined politely. Since then, she had offered other ways, most recently the mixing of cloned codes to be implanted in her embryo and birthed from a plasma container. She still offered her body to him, promising a high fertility level ran in her family, but he didn’t think it was right.
Just after her next cycle, when she was ovulating for certain, she called Wesley to her family’s estate, mostly empty due to her family’s extensive activities. Wesley watched Maria work their genetic codes together, taking, building, and manipulating to ensure all the proper traits. He looked her over and put in, “Give it my height and your gender. I wonder if she will be as fertile as your line.”
Dressed in a hospital gown in bare feet, Maria smiled and worked carefully, “Most are barren, given the inability to clone those more complicated codes and systems, but we can wait and see.” When she was done, she stood back to observe her work. “DNA and RNA are set.”
Wesley nodded, “That looks about right.” He shut the capsule and turned to Maria, “Shall I retrieve the other part?”
Maria sat up on padded table and spread her legs, “Be my guest. A little stimulation wouldn’t hurt,” she added, closing her eyes. She swallowed two very large blue pills and waited.
Wesley turned his attention to a computer screen, picking up a long and bendable tube with his other hand. “Here we go,” he warned and pushed the tube in.
“Hey!” Maria snapped, shifting her hips, “If you’re not going to stimulate me, do it slowly. It’s going to hurt otherwise,” she added.
Wesley sighed and apologized, “Sorry. Let me try again,” he added. As he pushed the tube in, he watched Maria carefully. When she grit her teeth, he knew the tube reached her uterus. From there, he watched the computer screen, navigating and moving with bits of help from the computer-controlled tip of the tube. It moved slowly and when he located an egg, he positioned the tube before sucking it from her. Once he was sure he had it, he removed the tube from Maria. “I got it,” he stated, moving to a case of plasma.
Maria closed her legs but she didn’t get up. “Let me rest a bit.” Without hearing his response, she turned her face to the side and passed out.
Wesley frowned and hurried over after securing the egg. He touched Maria’s cheek and checked her pulse. In their rush and his excitement, he had forgotten to administer a painkiller shot, which would explain her reactions. He swallowed and gave her an injection, hoping to make her more comfortable. On the table, she looked to be in a strange position, so he reached out and picked her up. Walking so as not to wake her, he carried her to one of the many bedrooms and put her down. Pulling the blanket over her, wondering when she would come to.
Some hours later, Maria opened her eyes to see Wesley reading a book. He looked up to see her and asked, “How are you feeling?”
She rolled on to her side and frowned, “Much better.” She sat up and touched her stomach, “Next time, I prefer the old fashioned way.”
Unknowingly, Wesley smiled and closed his book. Maria felt a light blush but she forced herself to get herself under control. She couldn’t afford to grow an attachment to her DNA donor. Back in the lab, he pulled up a chair for her to sit in and moved her closer to the plasma container. He had ensured the merging of the pre-arranged DNA and RNA with the egg. So, as he placed his hand on the DNA infused egg, he pulled her hand on it as well.
“Together, then?” Wesley asked.
Maria nodded and, he nodded as well. They pushed the capsule into the machine, watching it sink into the plasma. She turned to Wesley and smiled, “This was more fun than I thought it would be.”
Wesley looked her over and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. Maria looked up and let him kiss her lips. It was gentle and Wesley pulled back, his eyes wide with surprise. Maria smiled and closed her eyes, silently asking for another kiss. Her wooziness in that moment was quite overpowering, which affected her decision-making skills. Or, so she told himself.
Wesley looked around and, not too sure why, he leaned in to kiss her again. He hadn’t enjoyed physical touch so much in a very long time. And with his hormones suddenly raging, he let his hands move freely, breaking down the walls he had worked so hard to put up and keep firm. He prayed their creation would be stronger than the rest of mankind.
